SpaceX wrapped up May with a strong finish when its Falcon 9 rocket soared from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. At exactly 1:10 p.m. PDT on Saturday, the rocket carried 27 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit—a milestone that neatly highlights the company’s ongoing momentum.
This mission marked Falcon 9’s 16th successful launch and celebrated its first-stage booster’s 25th flight. The booster itself landed smoothly on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship in the Pacific, notching up its 133rd successful landing (455 overall) in the process.
Anne Mason, SpaceX’s director of National Security Space Launch, pointed out that the proven reusability and reliability of Falcon play a key role in securing consistent access to space. If you’ve ever wrestled with the challenge of trusting complex technology, it’s reassuring to see these numbers back up the company’s claim.
Adding to the excitement, SpaceX is churning out a second-stage rocket every 2.5 days to keep pace with its busy launch calendar. There’s even talk of acquiring Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg, which could further streamline operations and open up new opportunities for ambitious projects.
